After a very young start being taken up mountains in the Lake District by my elder brothers, I was sufficiently inspired to go straight from school into outdoor centre work in Speyside, Scotland.There I was trained to instruct mountain based skills, climbing, field studies, management training, kayaking and canoeing. Back in the old days when there was proper reliable snow, I also did several seasons as a ski instructor, working at Cairngorm, the Lecht and Glencoe.From there I moved to North Wales and worked in an independent outdoor gear shop that operated as a guiding agency, so I kept my hand in instructing and guiding; and added mine exploration and dry slope ski instruction to my repertoire.In the early 90s I moved back to the Lakes, and got a lot more involved in mountaineering again, leading treks in Britain, Europe and Morocco, as well as teaching mountain skills for organisations, schools, individuals and D of E.At the end of 2019 I upped sticks again, and after a month in Nepal, established my base of operations in the South Pennines.Over the years I've picked up the Ski Party Leader, Summer Mountain Leader, Single Pitch Award, Trail Cycle Leader and various paddling awards. I am an Accredited Gold Expedition Assessor for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme and have completed the Winter Mountain Leader Training and International Mountain Leader Summer Training. Just to keep me sharp, I'm embarking on the Local Cave and Mine Leader Assessment Scheme. I'm a member of the Mountain Training Association, the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, Institute for Outdoor Learning, British Caving Association, Austrian Alpine Club and I'm an Associate Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation. After jaunts with mountain rescue teams in Scotland, Wales and the Lake District, I am again an active member of Mountain Rescue in the West Yorkshire.

Trek Leader.

An exceedingly flexible part time post allowing me to continue my outdoor work, and still have a foot in reality. Kind of.An old school, third generation, specialist ironmongers and hardware shop in a quiet market town in North Cumbria.

A very specialist survival and remote trekking supplier.Claim to fame - I supplied a Panama hat to the Duke of Edinburgh. Does that mean I have a Royal Appointment?

The best-stocked specialist outdoor gear shop in the country at the time. Probably ever. Even suppliers used to come to us for stuff. These were the glory days of British manufacture - Mountain Equipment were top of the heap, Karrimor, Phoenix, Sprayway young and enthusiastic, Rab, Snowdon Mouldings, Mountain Range, Mountain Technology, HB when he was still with us, Clog; are DMM and Wild Country the only ones left? We kitted out Brian Blessed for the first Comic Relief Kili trip. I still smile to see the pictures in Nigel Shepherd's and John Barry's books, taken of gear in the shop. I sold plastic boots to Eric Jones. I got Chris Bonnington among many others to sign their books when they came in: no-one other than Stanfords had more books and maps than us. There were BMGs working for us. There was a rock face in the shop (and a waterfall when it rained!). This kind of Outdoor Palace (Temple) has long gone, replaced by High Street facsimilies. A great loss. Ok, Needle Sports still has it, but smaller.We also acted as a guiding agency providing all mountain based activities, including under-mountain, to groups and individuals.

Sssh.

Here I was trained to instruct all mountain based skills, climbing, field studies, management training, kayaking and canoeing. Back in the old days when there was proper reliable snow, I also did several seasons as a ski instructor, working at Cairngorm, the Lecht and subsequently Glencoe.